AIR SUPREMACY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 228, 24 September 1918, Page 5

AIR SUPREMACY.

! A BAD WEEK FOE FKITZ, J [ J WELLINGTON, Monday. The following weekly official review of aerial activity on the various fronts has been issued by the Minister of Information: After live days of almost perpetual storm and rain the week's air fighting ■ work culminated in a remarkable burst of ! fighting on the British western fTont and over Germany itself. Notwithstanding the unfavourable air conditions ruling from Tuesday to Saturday night, the British airmen seized every opportunity to press home advantages gained in recent operations. In the intervals of tine weather they took many photographs and dropped more than 20 tons of bombs on enemy organisations behind the lines. The improved weather on September 15 produced most marked aerial developments, and large numbers of enemy machines were encountered on the German side of the line. The enemy squadrons worked in large ■ formation and fought bitter combats. Lv ' i two days' lighting ,'S2 Jiritiah machinea 1 were reported missing, but 72 German ' machines were destroyed, 27 were brought ' down, and one kite-balloon was brought duwn on lire, making a total of 100 enemy ] aircraft accounted for in 48 hours. While I these heavy battles were proceeding, , British bombing squadrons were most . active, dropping more than 70 tons of i bombs on military objectives behind the ■ battle line. On September ]o" British . reconnaissance machines established a ; record, bringing back a larger number of i aerial photographs thau ever previously , recorded in a single day's work. The independent air force, acting in concert . with the French and American attack on the St. Mihicl salient, easily surpassed its own records, both in the number of objectives attacked jind in the weight of bombs dropped. I'robably there has never boon a more formidable and persistent air assault than the Rhino country suffered from British airmen during the past week. Between September 13 and 16 34 separate raids were made. Twelve went for the vital railway junction triangle at MetzSablons, four against Courcelles Junction, seven against railways at Arnaville, ! Krchange, Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, and Mainz, while heavy attacks were also made on enemy aerodromes at Buhl, Uovilay Frescaty and Hagenau. These related attacks on the same places were necessary as measures againet the perpetually renewed German repairs ajid machine production. In addition, destructive raids were also made on chemical and aeroplane factories at Mannheim, the Daimler works at Stuttgart, and dock sidings at Karlsruhe. The bombs dropped during five days totalled 59 tons, which equalled more than half the total j weight of bombs dropped during the whole of the preceding month. Iha material results are clearly shown by photographic and other records, which show that a large number of direct hits were obtained on all the objectives. British airmen continue to do successful work in connection with the Allied offensive in the Balkans and in Italy. Besides maintaining all the usual patrols they attacked vigorously naval and military works at Bruges, Ostend, Mariasaalter, Zeveeote, etc Over one of these towns on September l(i no fewer than 11 enemy machines were destroyed, and seven marc, were driven down, while only two British machine; failed to return,